Computer users need to install a powerful antivirus software to prevent malware attacks as well as safeguard personal information and protect their online identities. A good virus detector also ensures efficient functioning of the computer. A virus detector secures the computer and mobile devices, protects children’s access to unwanted websites, monitors the firewall of a computer, manages software updates, and much more. If you cannot afford to buy an antivirus, look for some free virus detectors and install the free version of a good antivirus on your system.

Here is a list of the popular virus detectors in the market.

Avast and AVG

Avast acquired its rival company AVG in the year 2017. Both the companies have merged their malware-detection engines with notable improvements. The best things about Avast Antivirus are its friendly interface, password manager, network scanner, and a fairly imperceptible system impact. Its antivirus protection is perfect in most aspects.

Bitdefender

The malware-detection rate of Bitdefender is great. The free version completely covers the basics. Its impact on system-performance is very low. However, the bare-bones interface of the free version is a little difficult to understand. There are only a few options and it is not possible to schedule a scan.

Avira

Avira has been dropped from its position as AVG and Avast have improved. Thus, this heavy system performance is less tolerable now. Although it has an option-packed austere interface, you get a high degree of customization with Avira. Among the various free add-on features, the best is the password manager and the VPN client.

Panda

This one works better on Windows 10 as compared to Windows 7. It has a pleasant interface with moderate system impact. It also processes monitor. The free version does a decent job of preventing malware infection.

Windows Defender
Once subpar, malware-detection rate of Windows Defender is now high. It comes with both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. During full scans, this product has high system impact and still, it would not protect any browser other than Microsoft browsers from malware. It does not even have any extra feature. Although it can be installed, having at least one of the other antivirus products is recommended.

Malwarebytes

This is not an antivirus software. It does not protect the PC from infection of the virus but it is an excellent product to clean malware that is already present on your computer. The best thing is that it does not interfere with any other installed antivirus program. This should be used as a complementary program with any other antivirus software.

Kaspersky Internet Security

Kaspersky Internet Security has the lowest system impact with the best malware-detection record. It offers additional security features like lock down webcam and parental controls. It also prevents websites from tracking your browsing activity. Kaspersky Internet Security is not a free software but you can use the trial version to know if it suits your needs.

Norton

This is also another excellent antivirus but it is a paid one and its cost is quite high as compared to its competitors. You can use the trial version of this antivirus to decide whether to purchase it or not.

Sophos

Sophos is good for those who have children at home. Its parental control feature is quite useful. You can remote check and scan the computer. You can also block different websites by category. It will keep a log of users when they try to log on to banned pages. However, its malware-detection rate is not high.

Every virus detector has its merits and demerits. It is advised to compare various virus detectors and choose the one that best suits your requirements.